Archangel
by milady dragon
Summary: AU - Sequel to "Contagion". When a powerful yet low-level telepathic signal incapacitates the Tomorrow People, Torchwood investigates. What they find leads them to the company Magister Innovations, the Archangel Network...and the Last of the Time Lords. Crossover with The Tomorrow People, Doctor Who, and Castle.
1. Chapter 1

Archangel - Chapter One  


Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you would recognize in this. And that upsets me.

Author's note: The was written for the Second Classic Torchwood Big Bang, over on LJ. It's a sequel to Contagion, and you should read that before you read this. This is what I thought of as the crossover from hell, because not only is the main crossover between Torchwood, the Tomorrow People, Doctor Who, and Castle, but there are other fandoms mentioned as well.

Hope you all enjoy it. :)

* * *

**Chapter One**

"– can't believe you actually know Richard Castle," Rhys Williams' voice faded in as Ianto Jones and his two companions jaunted into the alley that ran behind their destination.

The place didn't stink as badly as some alleys Ianto had found himself in – and when a person worked for Torchwood there were quite a few of them – and it ran the length of the block between the imposing rear walls of the shops that had doors opening into it. There was an emergency door and a tall rolling metal one in the wall they were next to, the words 'Waterstone's' on a small sign over the smaller of the two. While Ianto knew he could open either one easily with his telekinesis he decided to be polite and warn Alexis that they were waiting.

_'I'll be there in a sec,' _the girl called out telepathically.

"I've only actually met him once," he admitted. "Alexis has to vet all the Tomorrow People through her father before he decides how to kill them."

Gwen Cooper went pale. "What do you mean, 'kill them'?"

"Sorry," he said, although secretly he wasn't because he did enjoy winding people up, "I meant kill them in one of his books."

"Of course that's what he meant," Rhys snorted. "Obvious, innit?"

Gwen smacked her fiancé in the arm. "Only to you, you big lug."

Ianto couldn't help but roll his eyes at their antics. "It depends on the impression you make as to how long you last before you end up as a corpse. I think John lasted five pages, and Elena nearly two chapters. Paul, though…he didn't even make it a paragraph before he became a corpse."

"What about you, then?" Rhys asked.

"I don't know yet," Ianto answered. "I think I might be in this next one –"

The emergency door swung open, squealing slightly, revealing Alexis Castle, her cherubic face framed by her vibrant red hair. "Hey there," the American girl greeted them with a smile. "C'mon in. Dad's just about finished with the signing, and then we can all grab something to eat." She pushed it open farther in order to usher them inside. "I should warn you; Dad's in the mood for fish and chips. He says he can only get decent fish and chips here in London, and he won't pass up the chance."

Ianto greeted her with a hug, and then followed Rhys and Gwen past the girl and into the back area of the bookstore. The loading dock led directly into the large storage area, where boxes were stacked neatly on metal shelves and in labeled genres. "Thanks for letting us in," he said.

"Not a problem. Dad can't wait to meet someone you work with who isn't Captain Harkness." Her tone was teasing.

Ianto snorted. "It's only because Jack and your Dad are too much alike to really get along all that well."

"Don't tell Dad that," Alexis grinned. "He'll get all pouty and then where would we be."

"He doesn't mind us just showing up then?" Rhys asked worriedly.

"Nah, not at all." Alexis shrugged. "He's a great dad, and he fully supports me being a Tomorrow Person, but he does like to know who I'm hanging out with."

"And I'm sure them being fans is the best part," Ianto said.

Alexis laughed. "That's certainly a plus!"

She led them through the storage area, and then out of an employee door and into the main store itself. Ianto loved Waterstone's in Piccadilly; it was eight floors of books, and when he'd lived in London he would come here every weekend. Lisa would roll her eyes when he'd come back to the flat, carrying bags filled with books…

Ianto still missed Lisa, but it was much better now that he had Jack fully into his life. Six months on since their reconciliation after the incident with General Carson and his aborted attempt to create a virus that would turn off the genetic code of the Tomorrow People – _Homo Superior_ – he and Jack were living together, and were getting closer every day. Jack had embraced Ianto's powers without reservation, and to Ianto that had been the greatest gift his immortal lover could have given him.

Torchwood and the Tomorrow People had come to form a partnership that had managed to save the planet at least twice since they'd come together that fateful December. The first time had been their confrontation with Bilis Manger and his attempt to raise Abaddon from within the Cardiff Rift; it had been during that particular affair that Rhys had found out about Torchwood when Manger had tried to kill him in order to get Gwen to open the Rift. Alexis had been the one to save him, which had endeared the young woman to Gwen, who still wasn't sure that a fifteen-year-old was qualified to save the world but had finally accepted that John, the leader of the Tomorrow People, had known what he was doing when he'd sent her to 'babysit' Rhys.

Jack had wanted to Retcon Rhys after they'd managed to stop Manger and keep Abaddon from getting free, but John had convinced him not to. Gwen had argued against it as well, in her own demonstrative way. Ianto had to admit that Rhys had certainly come through for them several times since, especially when they'd had to face yet another Sorson invasion that had only been thwarted by an alien device that had had to have been hauled from Cardiff and out in the middle of the Brecon Beacons – and Toshiko had been all too happy to share what had happened the last time the team had been out there, for which Ianto was grateful that he'd been on the Trig at the time. It had been a good thing that Rhys had had access to a fairly large lorry, since they hadn't had a matter transmitter large enough to handle the load.

Ianto genuinely liked Rhys. More than that, Johnny, Ianto's brother-in-law, liked Rhys. The two men got along like a house on fire, and there was many a time when Rhiannon and Gwen had commiserated over becoming rugby widows. Ianto had to admit getting a bit of a laugh out of it, especially when Jack would also make the same complaint on nights when Johnny, Rhys, and Ianto would go to the pub on match days. Of course, Ianto didn't drink since he didn't want to lose control of his powers and accidentally telepathically read the wrong person, so it was hilarious getting his friend and brother-in-law to their respective homes and into the sometimes welcoming arms of their significant others.

When he'd heard that Rhys was a fan of the Derrick Storm novels, Ianto couldn't pass up the chance to tell Alexis, who had informed him that her Dad would be doing this particular book signing. She'd invited him to bring Rhys and Gwen along, and Ianto had jumped at it, not able to resist seeing Rhys go into fanboy mode over his favourite author. He'd kept their destination a secret until the very last moment, which made it all the much more fun.

Truthfully, they could have easily used the matter transporters to go anywhere Richard Castle was holding a signing, but Ianto always had had a soft spot for this Waterstone's and had been looking forward to being in London once more. Certainly, a lot of bad had happened in this city, but all that was outweighed by the good times he'd had, with Lisa and with the Tomorrow People.

Although, as much as London was a nice place to visit, Cardiff was now _home_ once more.

They accompanied Alexis up to the Mystery section of the enormous store, and it was obvious immediately that something was going on. A line had formed near the service desk, and a table had been set up just beyond it, where a life-sized cut-out of the author had been put, holding the newest of the Derrick Storm novels in his hand and flashing a cocky grin to all and sundry.

Richard Castle had the exact-same cocky grin on his face from Ianto's vantage point near the end of the queue. He was obviously flirting with the middle-aged mother who was currently getting his autograph, while the child she held by the hand looked incredibly bored with it all. Ianto didn't need to be a telepath to read the woman's excitement at meeting the handsome author.

_'Please don't call my Dad handsome,' _Alexis requested. _'It would just go to his head.'_

Ianto assured her that he would keep that to himself. Besides, while Mr. Castle was quite good looking, he really didn't compare to what he had waiting for him back in Cardiff.

_'And that's why you rated about a page in Dad's new book. You paid too much attention to Captain Harkness and not enough to him when you both first met him.'_

_'So much for your advice not to pander to his ego,' _Ianto sent back, laughing mentally.

_"I tell everyone that, but you're about the only one who listened to me. You and John.'_

_'John got more literary time than I did, though.'_

_'That's because John is with Elena, and Dad likes her.'_

That was true. Castle seemed to be inordinately fond of Elena. _"So…a page?"_

Alexis laughed, but didn't answer.

Richard Castle caught sight of them, and waved them forward. Alexis led the way, and Ianto didn't need to be empathic at all to sense Rhys' excitement at getting the chance to meet his idol. The few people still left in the line looked irritated at what had to seem like preferential treatment, but Ianto couldn't bring himself to care.

Castle rose, and greeted his daughter with a hug. "Just a few last minute fans," he said airily, releasing Alexis and nodding to Ianto. "Jones, nice to see you again. I see you didn't bring your other half with you today. Although…" he suddenly turned on the charm, catching sight of Gwen, "you've more than made up for it." He held out a hand to her. "Richard Castle. It's nice to meet you, Ms…?"

Gwen took the offered hand. "Gwen Cooper," she introduced herself, and Ianto didn't think he was imagining the faint blush on her face.

"And I'm Rhys Williams, Gwen's fiancé," Rhys put himself between Gwen and Castle, giving the author a side-eye worthy of every jealous man ever born.

It didn't seem to faze Castle one bit. With the same bright smile he shook Rhys' hand. "I'm surrounded by the Welsh! Glad you could come, Mr. Williams. I understand you're the fan in this bunch?" At Rhys' nod, Castle said, "It just shows what good taste you have. Give me a few minutes and then we can get out of here."

He went to sit back down, and Ianto couldn't help but be amused. He had to give Castle credit; he was nearly as smooth as Jack was. Which was, of course, another reason why the two men didn't really get along all that well.

True to his word, it was only a few more minutes before Castle was smiling and posing for his last photo, and the manager of the Waterstone's was thanking him profusely for spending time in their store. Gracefully, Castle accepted the gratitude, and before long the five of them were out on the sidewalk.

"The closest chippy is about three blocks down," Ianto indicated to his left. "We can grab something to eat there."

Castle looked at his shrewdly. "Either you read my mind – which I know you TP would never do – or Alexis ratted me out to you."

"Dad," the girl rolled her eyes.

Castle put his arm around her, grinning widely. "Always taking such good care of me...even though I'm supposed to be the adult in the family."

"Someone has to look out for you and Grams," Alexis answered, returning his grin.

"And you do that so well." He turned back to Ianto. "Lead the way, Jones."

Ianto did so, making his way through the late afternoon crowds, the thoughts of the humans around him tickling against his mental shields. He would never deliberately read anyone, but it wasn't hard to pick up on things when people seemed to think so loudly. It made him wonder what they would think if they knew someone could catch their surface thoughts so easily was walking among them.

"So," Castle said, "you seem to know London pretty well, Jones. I thought you lived in Cardiff?"

"I do," Ianto answered. "But I lived here in London for several years and I came to Waterstone's quite often."

"That's right," Gwen said knowingly. "I'd almost forgotten."

Ianto shrugged. "That's fine, Gwen." It really wasn't, but he couldn't actually fault her for not remembering. Living in London wasn't something he really dwelled on any longer. It had been a wonderful time of his life, but it was over now.

He couldn't help but notice the shrewd curiosity on Castle's face. "This sounds like an interesting story."

"Dad," Alexis chided him. "That's Ianto's business, and not yours."

"I don't mind," Ianto said, sending her his gratitude mentally. "Me and my fiancée lived here until she was killed during the terrorist attack at Canary Wharf."

He knew that Alexis could sense the last remnants of the pain he still carried over Lisa, but he hadn't been lying when he said he didn't mind talking about it. He certainly couldn't tell the complete and honest truth about what had occurred, but he knew now that Lisa had been long dead before he'd even gotten out of Torchwood One that horrible day.

Castle looked contrite. "Sorry about that."

"As I said, it's fine. I do miss Lisa, but I have Jack now, and although I lost her I can't help but think that I gained Jack."

"I'm not so sure that's a good trade-off, mate," Rhys snorted. This wasn't the first time that he'd heard about Canary Wharf, and Ianto knew this was an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Ouch," Castle added, wincing theatrically, seeming to catch on to what Rhys was doing.

Ianto sighed good-naturedly. "I do wish you'd quit picking on Jack. He's not all that bad."

Gwen threaded her arm around Ianto's. "Don't let them get to you, sweetheart."

He patted her hand. "At least I know one of you is on my side –"

He didn't get anything else out before cold darkness rolled through his mind like an arctic wave.

_Trust me._

_Believe in me._

_I am your friend._


	2. Chapter 2

Archangel - Chapter Two

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here...darn it

Author's note: Here we go, chapter two! Thanks everyone who read the first chapter and commented and other stuff, I appreciate you all.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Jack Harkness barely managed not to slam the phone down onto its cradle.

Just who did Harold Saxon think he was?

Of course, the man thought he was a government official, and in Jack's experience every one of Saxon's ilk had an entitlement complex several miles wide. Saxon seemed worse, in his opinion, and Jack sincerely hoped that the Defence Minister wouldn't be elected Prime Minister. It wouldn't take much for Jack to wish for a final death if Saxon did get elected into office.

He rubbed his temples, hoping to fight off the headache that dealing with Saxon always brought on. Jack wanted the man to go away, and it didn't look like he'd be doing that anytime in near future. He knew Ianto felt the same way, and neither of them was above bitching about Saxon over something the Minister had tried to pull. The last issue they'd had was Saxon trying to get Torchwood reports into Cabinet meetings, and it had taken Jack threatening to go to the Queen to get Saxon to back down.

Ever since then, Saxon had gone out of his way to make Jack's life miserable. Well, that was most likely an exaggeration, but still…the Defence Minister hadn't made it easy, calling and making the strangest demands and insisting on Jack's attention. It was as if the man had it out for Jack, but if Saxon thought that would make Jack knuckle under and do things his way, then he was sorely mistaken.

Torchwood was above the government, and Jack was taking an obscene amount of pleasure in showing Saxon just what that meant.

He got up out of his chair, stretching until he felt his back crack. Sighing, Jack made his way to the etched window looking out over the main Hub, a slight smile on his face as he watched Toshiko Sato chatting away, her mobile open and sitting on her desk as she worked on whatever project she had going. Jack knew immediately who she was talking to; his technical expert and Tim, the Tomorrow People's biotronic supercomputer, had struck up a friendship and Toshiko would call Tim at least twice a week, and together the pair would get completely lost in technobabble that even had Jack scratching his head.

He couldn't see Owen, but he knew the doctor was down in the Autopsy Bay, working on clearing a backload of work from the last abortive invasion they'd had. Jack really should have expected the comments Owen had made on the Sorson body shape, but then it wasn't often that they ran into an alien race that resembled an ambulatory penis and Jack had indulged him.

Ianto and Gwen had the day off, and were taking Rhys to London to meet Richard Castle. When Jack had found out that Alexis' father was a famous author, he'd been concerned. He'd spoken with John, who'd allayed his fears over Castle deciding to write a novel based on the Tomorrow People…or, god forbid, Torchwood if he ever found out about it. The support of parents was important to a young Tomorrow Person, and Richard Castle was completely behind his daughter. Jack had seen it first-hand when he'd met the American, and knew that he would rather die than to put Alexis in any unnecessary danger.

Jack sighed, wondering when Ianto and Gwen would be back. Ianto had said not to expect him for dinner, which was why Jack was still in the Hub and not thinking about heading toward their flat for the night. In a bit though he'd shoo both Toshiko and Owen out, even though that would leave him alone until Ianto returned.

If he'd been told even a year ago that he would find happiness with an evolved human who had impressive mental powers Jack would have laughed. Especially after the rocky start he and Ianto had had over the whole Lisa incident. Jack hadn't even known that Ianto was a Tomorrow Person at the time, and had nearly destroyed his mind with his demand to kill the young man's converted girlfriend. Tomorrow People were genetically skewed against taking lives, and it had damaged Ianto almost beyond repair.

But they'd come together once again after the events with General Carson, and had been a couple ever since.

It had been Ianto who had made him miss the Doctor when the Time Lord had appeared in the Plass to re-energize his TARDIS, although Jack never blamed his lover for it. They'd been on a date to Ianto's favourite Thai restaurant at the time – in actual Thailand – so they hadn't been in Cardiff. However, Jack had managed to get as many answers as he could from various healers and scientists from the Galactic Trig, and knew pretty much everything about his 'condition', if not what exactly had caused it. It wasn't that he didn't want to see the Doctor again, but Jack was fairly content with his life now, and he wasn't dependent on the Time Lord anymore.

Jack was now focused on Torchwood…and Ianto, for as long as his lover was alive. There would be plenty of time later on to reconnect with the Doctor. After all, he had eternity to catch up.

He was about to turn away when Toshiko caught his attention.

His technician stopped what she was doing on her terminals, and had turned to the open mobile on the desk next to her keyboard. She picked it up, and even though Jack couldn't hear her he could read her lips, and she was calling Tim's name, the expression on her face one of worry.

Jack was out of his office and down to Toshiko's station before he even knew he'd reacted.

"I was speaking with Tim," Toshiko said, even before Jack could ask, "and suddenly there was just dead air. The connection is fine, but for some reason Tim is…gone."

Jack frowned. "Tim wouldn't just drop the call like that."

"The network we have between us and the Lab is dedicated and totally secure," Toshiko explained. "There is literally no way a call could drop unless Tim hung up on me."

"Tim?" Jack scoffed. "He's the politest being we know. He'd never hang up on you unless he couldn't help it."

"Exactly." Toshiko worried her lip with her teeth.

Jack lifted his arm, and flipped back the cover of his Vortex Manipulator. Not that it worked as that any longer since John had repaired it. The elder Tomorrow Person had originally meant to convert the wrist strap into a matter transporter, but it had turned out to be simpler to just repair the original teleportation circuits and the communicator. Jack could no longer travel in time, but he didn't mind. He had a life there in Cardiff, and he didn't mean to leave it.

He thumbed on the communicator. It was a direct link to the biotronic supercomputer, and he pinged Tim, needing to find out what had occurred.

Tim didn't answer.

"Damnit," Jack swore. He closed his Manipulator and then pulled out his own mobile, meaning to call Ianto in London.

It rang before he could even call up his contacts.

The name _Gwen _showed up on the caller I.D.

Jack didn't know why her calling suddenly made his heart slam hard, but it did.

"What's wrong?" he answered, not bothering with pleasantries.

_"Ianto and Alexis have both collapsed," _Gwen reported. She sounded out of breath. _"We were walking down the street, and then suddenly they both went down. We don't know what's wrong."_

"We've lost contact with Tim, too," Jack said, knowing instantly that both had to be connected.

He wanted nothing more than to get to London immediately, but Jack had to keep his personal feelings at bay.

But it was Ianto…

_"Shit, Jack. I was hoping he could teleport them out or something. We've already brought a lot of attention, and someone's called 999…"_

It was Jack's turn to curse. The last thing they needed was a well-meaning doctor doing some sort of brain scan; it would be nothing at all to see the differences between a Tomorrow Person brain and a normal human's. It was too late though, there were too many witnesses, and Jack sincerely doubted that they'd be able to stop Ianto and Alexis from being taken into the nearest hospital.

"Let us know what hospital they take them to," Jack ordered. "Owen and I will get there immediately."

_"Will do," _Gwen replied. She disconnected.

"Owen!" Jack shouted.

"No need to scream, Harkness," the medic grumbled. Owen was up on the Autopsy Bay landing, looking irritated.

"Get your gear together," Jack said, ignoring the man's comment. "Ianto and Alexis have collapsed in London, and we can't get in touch with Tim to teleport them out. Gwen called and they're going to be transported by ambulance."

The irritation left Owen's face immediately, and he went into doctor mode. "Give me five minutes," he said, heading back down into his domain, grumbling something about 'the hacks in A&E' as he left.

"Toshiko," Jack regarded his technician, "I want you to hack Tim."

The Japanese woman's mouth fell open. "Hack Tim? Jack, are you serious? Tim's the most advanced artificial intelligence on the planet! I can't just push a few buttons and get in, like I can with eBay!"

"I'd have thought you'd appreciate the challenge."

"Challenge? No, Jack. Hacking Tim isn't a challenge; it's nearly impossible. Besides, he's a friend –"

"Tosh," Jack murmured, putting his hands on her shoulders, "something's happened to Ianto and Alexis, and if they were affected then the other Tomorrow People most likely would have been, too." That was a supposition on his part, but it made sense. "We also have to believe that, whatever happened to them, also happened to Tim. We need to know if he's all right."

She sighed, then nodded. "I'll do my best. Tim once told me about a backdoor, but he never elaborated on it. I'll see if I can somehow find it, but if it was easy to locate…"

"Anyone would have been able to get in years ago," Jack finished. "Your best is always good enough, Toshiko. Do what you can. We need to know if Tim is offline, or if it's something else."

Toshiko relaxed back into her seat. Pushing her glasses back up onto her nose, she began working, her face sliding into its familiar look of concentration.

Jack had complete faith in her abilities, but even he realised he'd set Toshiko at a near-impossible task. Tim was, indeed, the most advanced biological computing system on Earth, and most likely on several other planets as well. The only person who truly knew Tim inside and out was the person who had constructed him.

And John was somewhere they couldn't contact him. He might very well be incapacitated as well.

Just the same as Ianto.

He wanted to leave now, to go to his lover and bring him back to the Hub. Jack didn't dare; there were too many witnesses apparently, and with emergency services contacted there would be no sneaking Ianto and Alexis away. Not even Castle would be able to waive them off, despite being Alexis' father.

No, the best plan was to get to them while they were in A&E, and hope for the best.

Jack hated waiting, especially when it was Ianto in trouble.

* * *

Jack and Owen transported to just outside the entrance to the A&E where Ianto and Alexis were being brought, trying to be careful and not draw attention to their sudden appearance. Gwen had called him when the ambulance had arrived, giving Jack the location and telling him that Castle would be riding with the paramedics, while she and Rhys would be arriving by taxi.

They were there when the ambulance carrying Ianto and Alexis arrived. Owen handed off his two equipment cases to Jack and bustled forward the moment the doors at the rear of the vehicle opened, and it was only his white doctor's coat that allowed him entrance. Jack hovered outside, and it was a few moments later that Owen emerged. "Ianto's coming to," he reported as the gurney with Alexis was brought out first, her father following closely behind. Castle glanced at Jack, then his eyes flickered toward Owen, but he said nothing as he went with the paramedic pushing the gurney into the sliding doors leading into the A&E.

Owen helped with the second one holding a barely conscious Ianto, and Jack dogged his medic's steps as they took his lover inside. The fact that Ianto was coming to lifted the terror he'd been feeling ever since Gwen had phoned. The very idea that something had struck both Tomorrow People down without some sort of clue – and had most likely taken Tim out as well – was frightening. Jack didn't even guess at what it might have been, not until he could talk to Ianto and get some answers. Until then, if he let his imagination take over then he'd only succeed in scaring himself nearly to death.

"Excuse me," the nurse at the front station called out as Jack passed. "You can't go in there unless you're family."

Owen left his place at Ianto's gurney, giving the woman his best doctor's glare. "He _is_ family, darlin'. He's Mr. Jones' next of kin. Now, why don't you go and do some filing and leave the ones who know what they're doing to get on with it."

He grabbed Jack's elbow and steered him into the main A&E ward, ignoring the woman's insulted huff. It was like most others; curtains separated areas where beds could be parked, and Jack could see the paramedic pulling Alexis' gurney up into one of the exam areas, next to a bed waiting for them. Ianto was put in the next cubicle, and the second paramedic helped his partner transfer first Alexis, and then Ianto, into the hospital beds.

A doctor was approaching, and Owen left Jack to go and head the woman off at the pass. "I'm Miss Castle and Mr. Jones' personal physician," he said before the doctor could open her mouth. "I'll be looking after them."

The woman frowned. "Are you even credentialed to work in this hospital?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Owen smiled, and it looked almost shark-like. "I can work anywhere I like," he answered. "Now, I need to see to my patients." Without another word, Owen headed into Ianto's exam area, tugging the curtain closed.

"Can you move the curtains a bit so I can see both Tea-Boy and Alexis?" he requested curtly, reaching for his equipment.

Jack didn't take offense as his tone, simply handing over the two cases and doing as Owen ordered. Once Alexis' cubicle was open to Ianto's, he gave Castle a slight nod. "This is our medic, Doctor Owen Harper. What he doesn't know about Tomorrow People medical-wise probably isn't worth knowing."

Castle scowled, but returned the nod. "Just how many people do you have working with you, Harkness?"

"Just five, plus Rhys," Jack answered. "You just haven't met Toshiko yet."

He ducked around Owen and went to Ianto's side. His lover was blinking his eyes rapidly as if to clear them, his brow furrowed in obvious pain. "Here." Owen handed Jack a couple of white pills. "Painkillers. Tea-Boy is gonna need them. I'm gonna examine Alexis first, since she hasn't regained consciousness yet."

There was a rolling cart parked against the wall, and Owen put one of his cases down on the top. He flipped it open, revealing what looked like a laptop with leads attached to it.

"What the hell is that?" Castle demanded.

"Alien tech," the medic answered, "adapted by John and Tosh into a very advanced and miniaturised EEG calibrated for Tomorrow People brains." He pulled the leads out, untangling them. "Both Tea-Boy and Alexis lost consciousness, so it could have been a mentally based attack."

"It was," Ianto mumbled, his voice gravelly.

"Shut up and take your meds," Owen snarked. "Harkness, keep him on his back until I've examined him…and I don't mean the way you're thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter."

Jack was actually too worried about Ianto and Alexis to come up with any sort of comeback for that, but from the expression on Owen's face it seemed that the medic wasn't expecting anything.

"Jack?" He heard Gwen calling out.

He pressed a kiss against Ianto's forehead, and then stepped out from behind the curtain. Gwen and Rhys were making their way down the ward, and Gwen caught sight of him first, taking Rhys by the arm and leading him toward the immortal. "How are they?" she asked, sounding somewhere breathless.

"Owen's examining them now," Jack answered. He glanced around, seeing several nurses and the doctor that had accosted them on the way in not watching in that way that said they were, in fact, watching. "Can you two keep an eye out? Make sure no one disturbs us."

"You got it, mate," Rhys said.

Jack touched them both on the shoulder then headed back into the exam area.


	3. Chapter 3

Archangel - Chapter Three

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I can't claim anything in this except for my plot.

Author's note: Hello, again! Welcome to the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Ianto curled up on his side, so he could watch Owen with Alexis.

He felt as if his head would fall off at the movement. He almost hoped it would, because then it might not pound like someone had turned up the bass line in his brain.

Despite the pain, Ianto's mind felt numb, as if his telepathy had been cut off. It reminded him of just after Lisa, in that horrible month when he hadn't been certain he'd get his powers back after he'd tried to break the Prime Barrier for Jack, to correct the mistake he'd made in trying to save Lisa…or the thing that had taken her over. He'd hated not knowing if we ever be whole again, and when his power had gradually returned the relief Ianto had felt had been indescribable.

Now, the relief was there once more, but it was because he recognized the fact that he was in a hospital and for no other reason. Ianto had an irrational fear of hospitals…well, maybe it wasn't all that irrational, having spent the majority of his break-out shut up in Providence Park, surrounded by the minds of the insane…no, not being able to sense the sick and dying in the building was a mercy, one that Ianto would willingly accept.

Already, though, he could feel the tendrils of power returning. It wouldn't be long before he would regain his full strength, and Ianto sincerely hoped he'd be out of this place before that happened. His shields might be strong, but the sort of pain and fear that inhabited a hospital could rival that of Canary Wharf during the Daleks and Cybermen attack.

Jack had gone, and Ianto wished he'd come back quickly. Jack was peaceful to be around, his thoughts completely hidden by the mental shields that his lover had. Now, he couldn't help but want that peace surrounding him, to prevent any sort of reaction that might come when his powers did return.

Instead, he concentrated on watching what was going on around Alexis. Castle was standing beside his daughter at the far end of the gurney, holding her hand. Owen worked around the girl, slipping a thin mesh-like cap over her head, the thin wires leading back to the case he'd set on a rolling cart he must have found from somewhere. He'd seen the device before; hell, he'd let himself be used as a guinea pig for John and Tosh as they'd developed it.

"Let's see what we have here," Owen said, turning to the modified laptop's screen.

Jack re-entered the cubicle then, and came to sit beside Ianto, pulling himself onto the uncomfortable gurney and positioning himself so that Ianto could lean his back against him and still watch what was going on. Ianto couldn't sense anything from Jack, but of course that was normal. However, everything else was gradually coming back. He couldn't help but tense up at that.

Jack took his hand. "We'll get both you and Alexis out of here soon," his lover murmured.

Ianto didn't say anything; but then, he doubted he needed to. Jack was well aware of his past, and had to have guessed what was going on.

"Looks like Alexis suffered the equivalent of a telepathic concussion," Owen reported. "Her beta and gamma waves are coming back up to normal levels already, but the neural activity across her frontal lobe is nearly flat." He turned around, giving Ianto a look. "Tea-Boy, how's your telepathy?"

"Muffled," Ianto admitted. "But it's coming back slowly." The slower, he felt, the better.

Something in his expression must have communicated itself to Owen, because the medic said, "We'll get both of you outta here before that happens. Can you get your shields up?"

"Not really, no. It feels like they've been shredded." That wasn't exactly how it felt, but it was as close as he could get to describing how it felt.

"Shit." Owen began removing the cap from Alexis' head. "We need transportation before Alexis wakes up, then. Harkness, can you arrange it?"

"I can take Ianto and Alexis back to the Hub using my wrist strap," Jack answered.

"Yeah, that'll work –"

"Wait a second," Castle butted in. "I understand that we don't want any doctors to run any tests on Alexis and Jones, but what's the rush to get them out?"

"Ianto has the strongest shields of all the Tomorrow People," Owen explained as he packed away the EEG. "If his are shredded, then Alexis' are gonna be in worse shape. If neither one of them can shield, then they can't block out the shit they're bound to pick up in the building…"

Castle paled as he apparently grasped the implications of what Owen was saying. "Got it," he agreed. "Let's get them both out of here."

Owen closed up his case. "Can you take both back to the Hub at the same time?"

"No," Jack answered. "I can only carry one at a time now." He sounded frustrated.

"Alexis first," Ianto demanded, only it sounded more like a croak than being strong enough for any sort of demand. "I don't want her waking up here."

Castle looked relieved, and then he turned toward Jack. "Where are you taking her?"

"Back to our Hub, where Owen can keep a close eye on her."

"What about the Lab?"

"We haven't heard anything from the other Tomorrow People yet," Jack explained. "And Tim is apparently down as well. We have no way of getting there, it's too well hidden. Besides, even if I could teleport us there, there's no telling what we might find."

Ianto knew that Jack was obfuscating just a bit. He'd been to the Lab many times, and while Jack had always relied on Tim bringing him in, Ianto was convinced that his lover knew the exact coordinates of the Lab and would be able to get there on his own.

But if Tim really was down…

Ianto couldn't help but shudder. The biotronic supercomputer had all sorts of redundant shielding, and if the same signal that had knocked Alexis and himself out had somehow damaged Tim…

And what about John, Elena, and Paul? Ianto knew for a fact that John had gone to do some sort of investigation of a company in the States that had somehow gotten a hold of alien technology and had been reverse engineering it. Elena was also in the States, although she'd been visiting a former teammate who had settled down, and was now expecting. As for Paul, the last thing Ianto had heard from the younger TP was that he had a date with his semi-regular girlfriend.

How could whatever had happened have affected them all?

Ianto's brain hurt too much to think about it, even though Owen's painkillers were helping a bit.

"I've got all the equipment back at the Hub in order to take care of Alexis and Ianto," Owen pointed out. "Now, are we gonna get them both out of here before Alexis wakes up and gets bombarded by shit she can't handle?"

Castle looked like he wanted to argue, but he gave in. "All right, let's do this."

Jack left Ianto's side, and he missed his lover immensely. He poked his head outside and said something to…yes, it was Rhys and Gwen, keeping anyone else out. Ianto could just make out Gwen's busy thoughts, and Rhys' more grounded ones.

After he was done speaking with Rhys and Gwen, Jack made his way over to the gurney where Alexis lay. He carefully gathered the young woman up into his arms. "I'll be right back," he promised, "and then I'll get Ianto – "

"No," Ianto denied weakly. "Mister Castle next, so he can be there when Alexis wakes up."

Castle gave Ianto a relieved smile, but Jack looked like he wanted to argue.

"Please," Ianto said, before Jack could speak, "he's her father."

Finally, Jack gave a sharp nod. Then, he activated his Vortex Manipulator, and the two were gone.

"She's gonna be fine," Owen told Castle. "She'll have the headache from hell, but it'll be a complete recovery."

"Thank you, Doctor," Castle said, letting out a breath.

"Nah, just doing my job, mate. Now, if you really wanted to thank me, you could introduce me to one of the starlets that seem to go for you…"

Castle leered. "Gwyneth Paltrow, Maggie Gyllenhall, or Liv Tyler?"

"All of the above?"

The author snorted, opening his mouth to reply, but Jack teleported back into the cubicle. "I put Alexis on the sofa for the time being," he reported. "She was beginning to wake up, so we should get going." He raised his arm. "Hand on the wrist strap, please."

Castle side-eyed it for a moment, but apparently his worry over his daughter overruled the concern for the mode of transportation, and he did as Jack requested. Jack cast one glance over toward Ianto, and then they were gone.

"How's the pain, Tea-Boy?" Owen asked, sounding about as solicitous as he normally did…which was hardly at all.

"Not bad now," Ianto admitted. But the signals he was getting from the residents of the hospital were growing stronger, and they were nibbling at his consciousness like mental rats, eating away at his control. Someone in the A&E was in terrible pain, and on the floor above another patient was in a drug-induced haze and was hallucinating, the visions infringing on Ianto's own mind until he could see them in all their confused clarity…

"Oi!" Owen's voice cut into the fogginess that was intruding into Ianto's brain. "Do I need to sedate you?"

Ianto swallowed. "No, that would make it worse." He'd have absolutely no defence against what he was sensing then, and he didn't want to leave himself at the mercy of the feelings and thoughts of the patients surrounding them.

He wanted to weep when Jack appeared again, but settled for a weak smile. "What took you so long?"

"Sorry," Jack said, reaching out and touching Ianto's cheek, and the Tomorrow Person reveled in the peace of Jack's mind. "Castle was a bit…surprised by Myfanwy. I had to reassure him that she wouldn't eat either him or Alexis."

Ianto wanted to laugh, but he wanted to get out of the hospital more.

He let Jack help him to his feet, his brain feeling as if it were sloshing about inside his skull, but he felt comforted by Jack's arm around him.

"I'll get the Williamses and meet you outside," Owen said. "None of us want to be around when they realise their patients vanished into thin air."

"I'll be back for you as soon as I get Ianto settled," Jack promised, his grip around Ianto's waist tightening.

Without being told, Ianto rested his hand over the leather wrist strap, and Jack slid his hand underneath to activate the Vortex Manipulator. There was a sudden wrench of teleportation – completely unlike jaunting, which was always smooth – and Ianto found himself in the Hub, standing near the old sofa where Alexis was sitting, leaning against her father.

Jack deposited him next to Alexis. His lover stroked his fingers through Ianto's hair. "Three more to go," he murmured. "Be back soon."

With that, he was gone.

Ianto was glad to be back in the Hub. There were no loud mental voices to block out; although he could sense the minds of the tourists above on the Plass, they weren't very loud, and on the whole they were quite happy. He leaned his head back, letting it loll as he relaxed.

He could sense Toshiko's approach. He enjoyed being around the technician at the best of times. Now, her calm and orderly mind was like a balm to his, almost as comforting as Jack's was. "I made you some tea," she said softly.

Ianto opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "Thank you, you are a star."

A faint blush painted her cheeks. "It's herbal, since I didn't think your head would be able to stand the caffeine."

He took the warm mug from her, inhaling the steam. It smelled heavenly, and seemed to clear his brain a little. "Have you heard from any of the other Tomorrow People yet?" he inquired.

She looked grave. "Not yet. Jack asked me hack Tim and see what happened to him though."

As much as Ianto had faith in his friend's skill, he knew it would take something more than Toshiko's brilliance to get into Tim's systems, even if the artificial intelligence had somehow become damaged. "I have some codes that might help. John made certain Elena and I could access Tim's diagnostics from outside the Lab if needed."

A grateful smile lit her face. "If we can see whatever happened to you or Alexis affected Tim, that might be one step into figuring out what it was."

"You get codes for Tim?" Alexis asked, sounding put out.

Ianto glanced over at her. She was even paler than usual, with dark circles under her grey eyes. She was slumped against her father, holding her own tea mug. "Yes, and don't be insulted that he didn't share." He reached over and clasped her hand. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, although my head is pounding like my brain wants to escape." She tried to smile, but it was a weak effort.

"Wait until Owen gets here. He'll make sure you get some of the good painkillers." Ianto's head wasn't aching nearly so badly, but he knew the pain wouldn't go entirely away. He didn't want to be so drugged up that he couldn't function, and he knew Alexis would feel the same way.

He set his mug down and, with Toshiko's steadying hand on his arm, Ianto managed to stand and make his way over to Toshiko's work station. He slid into the chair carefully, and had to blink a few times before he could focus on the lines of code that were on the larger monitor in the middle.

"Tea-Boy!" Owen's strident voice echoed through the Hub, making Ianto wince. "You should be resting that super-brain of yours instead of messing about playing video games."

Ianto didn't deign to even look in his direction. "I have a back door into Tim, and I thought it would be important that we find out if he's down and what happened. So excuse me for wanting to get to the bottom of things."

"You call him Tea-Boy?" Castle inquired. Ianto didn't look at him, either, but he could sense and hear his curiosity. "Why?"

"Have you tasted his coffee yet?" There was a pause, and Ianto guessed that Castle had just shaken his head. "When you do, you'll know."

"Then why not coffee boy?"

"Because that would make sense, and Owen is a prat," Ianto called back over his shoulder. He got to work, Toshiko watching as he began. "I'm certain Tim wouldn't mind you knowing," he answered quietly. "In fact I'm sure he would have told you himself if he'd thought about it."

He could sense Toshiko's curiosity, and Ianto knew he'd need to get his shields back under control. He normally didn't pick up such things from her.

It didn't take long for Ianto to get into the special back door that John had set up, in order to get into Tim's diagnostics. All the while, he could hear Owen talking to Alexis, asking her questions and checking her physical and mental states. He knew it would be his turn at some point, but as he worked he noticed that he was beginning to feel better. His shields were gradually reknitting themselves and the noise of the tourists above their heads was fading out.

As he worked Jack had arrived back with Gwen, and then with Rhys. Ianto made a mental note to come up with a cover story for the hospital…

And then he was in.

Several screens popped up, and Ianto squinted at each one as he assimilated what he was seeing. A warm and familiar hand rested on his shoulder. "Find anything?"

Ianto nodded faintly. "It looks like whatever hit us affected Tim as well. The signal somehow managed to penetrate his telepathic buffers and damaged some of Tim's communication nodes. The self-repair units are working, but until they're done Tim won't be talking to us."

"Is there an estimated time?" Jack asked.

"Looks to be about an hour."

"No wonder it knocked you and Alexis for six," Owen commented. "If it damaged Tim, you're both lucky nothing nastier happened to you."

"While Tim's really advanced," Toshiko said, "he's still somewhat limited by his mechanical nature. The Tomorrow Person brain was able to react in nanoseconds to the attack and knock Ianto and Alexis out in order to avoid any permanent damage, while Tim couldn't, in fact, lose consciousness."

"But what about the others?" Alexis asked from the sofa, where she still cuddled up next to her father. "Why haven't we heard from anyone else? John and Elena were supposed to be out of the country, so they shouldn't have been affected."

"And it wasn't a break-out," Ianto added. He spun in the chair to look at his fellow _Homo_ _Superior_. "Did you hear it, Alexis? Just before we passed out."

Her forehead wrinkled. "Yes, I did. It was a voice, and it wanted me to trust it." Her hand jerked as she spoke, in a specific rhythm that Ianto found his own hand following.

"It said it was our friend," Ianto agreed, the words repeating in his head. His eyes unfocused slightly, as he thought back onto what happened. The voice had sounded so friendly…

"Ianto!"

Jack's worried voice broke through the memory of the voice, and he looked up into his lover's fearful face. Ianto blinked, bringing himself back to the present. "What just happened?" he asked.

"That's what I want to find out." Jack went from concerned to captain in a heartbeat. "Owen, I want both Ianto and Alexis put through every test you can think of. Something is going on here, and I want to know what it is…yesterday."


	4. Chapter 4

Archangel - Chapter Four  


Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own this, sorry.

Author's note: Hello, everyone! Welcome to the next chapter. Hope you continue to enjoy this.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Jack chewed his thumb as he stood at the railing overlooking the autopsy bay, watching Owen put Ianto through every sort of exam the medic could think of.

When he'd seen both his lover and Alexis go blank, their fingers tapping some sort of odd rhythm, he'd nearly panicked. He hadn't been the only one; Rick Castle had gone white as he'd called out to his daughter, to bring her back from the brink of…well, of wherever she and Ianto had gone. Jack had managed to do the same thing to Ianto, and it disturbed him more than he cared to admit, especially since neither Tomorrow Person seemed to recall what had happened during their fugue state.

He was the Captain though, and he needed to be in command.

However, he'd gotten several pointed looks from Castle, and suspected he wasn't being overly successful.

"Jack!"

Toshiko's calling his name had his head snapping around, and before he knew it Jack was heading away from the autopsy bay and toward his technician's station, passing the sofa where Castle and Alexis still sat, the young woman resting against her father. He spared her a glance; she looked much improved, colour coming back into her face and the lines of pain vanishing from her forehead. Castle gave him a slight nod, confirming what he was seeing.

"Whatcha got, Tosh?" Jack asked, stopping just behind her chair. It was all he could do not to rock on his heels in sheer nervousness.

She turned and smiled up at him. Taking her mobile from her pocket, she found a number in her contacts and dialed.

It didn't even ring.

_"Toshiko!" _the unmistakable voice of Tim, sounding harried, answered the call. _"I am sorry, but I have been down for the last one hour and forty-eight minutes."_

"We know," Toshiko answered, looking calm for the first time since they'd realised that the bio-computer was non-functional. "Ianto used your backdoor codes to get access to your repair systems, and I noticed you just come back online. We're glad you're back with us."

_"As am I," _Tim answered warmly.

"Tim," Jack said, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. "Can you tell us what happened?"

He sensed rather than saw Castle and Alexis approaching as Tim spoke once more. _"I received a very powerful yet low-level telepathic burst that disabled my buffers and temporarily knocked me offline."_

"Do you know where the burst came from?" Ianto asked, and it was all Jack could do not to order him back into Owen's domain for more tests.

_"Ianto, I am so very glad to hear from you," _the supercomputer said, sounding relieved. _"I have not been able to contact anyone telepathically, however…"_

"Alexis and I were affected by the same burst that disrupted you," Ianto explained. "We're recovering, however."

_"If you were also affected, then logically the other Tomorrow People were as well. As for where the burst originated, I cannot tell, although it appears to have been from somewhere in space."_

"An attack of some kind?" Jack asked. It had been hovering in the back of his mind ever since Ianto and Alexis had acted strangely.

_"Possibly, Captain," _Tim replied. _"Although, from what I was able to determine, the signal was claiming to be friendly."_

"It was," Alexis answered.

Jack wasn't sure about that. "It might have _claimed_ to be friendly, but someone wanting to be friends doesn't go around knocking people out and overwhelming you, Tim."

"It might not have known its own strength," Ianto said, "but I think Jack is right, Tim. A really big part of me wants to believe it, but maybe I've been working for Torchwood too long or something. Or maybe I'm just plain paranoid."

Jack was glad that Ianto wasn't being duped by whatever had spoken to them.

"And then there was Alexis' and Jones' reactions when they talked about it earlier," Castle added. "It was like they were hypnotised or something."

"Yeah," Jack said. "Castle's right…something was definitely off about it."

_"Then we…" _Tim's voice faded off, and then returned, sounding relieved. _"I have just heard from John. He is well, although he too was affected by the burst."_

"He was in America," Ianto said.

_"In New Jersey, yes. He was hoping to discover how alien technology managed to find its way into the hands of an American corporation. Luckily he was at the home of a friend when the telepathic burst incapacitated himself and Allison."_

"Allison?" Toshiko asked.

"She left the team just as I was joining," Ianto said. "She's an immunologist at some teaching hospital."

_"I have also heard from Elena. The burst has caused another of our number, Danielle, to go into premature labour and her husband, Terry, is still unconscious."_

"They need a doctor," Owen demanded. "I can be ready in a minute."

_"That would be greatly appreciated, Dr. Harper," _Tim said gratefully. _"I shall send a matter transporter belt to you."_

Jack didn't like it, but he couldn't argue with sending Owen. After all, he hadn't been lying when he'd claimed that the medic was the foremost expert on the Tomorrow People. He was still concerned about Ianto and Alexis, but this was more important, especially with an unborn child involved.

_"I also have another report of the burst affecting a Tomorrow Person in Australia…and I believe we have several break- outs occurring at this moment."_

"This was world-wide, then." Jack really didn't like it. If this signal had been felt all over the planet…no, this wasn't good at all. They'd need to figure this out, and fast.

"How many break-outs, Tim?" Ianto asked.

_"I have detected six at this present time."_

Jack turned to look at his lover. Ianto's face was strained, and he knew that his powers still weren't quite up to snuff. "I'm…getting one, it's close. I'd say somewhere near London."

_"Ealing, I have determined."_

"Tim, jaunt me to those coordinates –"

"No way," Jack snapped. "You're not recovered yet from your own brush with whatever the hell it was!"

"Jack," Ianto said calmly, resting his hand on Jack's arm, "if someone doesn't get to that break-out – to any of the break-outs – they could die. We need to help."

What Jack would have said was interrupted by Owen's return, carrying two large cases and a third looped around his neck by a leather strap. "I'm ready."

_"Thank you again, Dr. Harper," _Tim said. _"I am sending you the matter transporter belt now."_

On Toshiko's desk, the belt faded into view, draped across her keyboard. It was made of a black webbed material, with a checkerboard white and black buckle. A burnished gold disc was hooked to the belt.

After what had happened with the rogue UNIT General, Avery Carson, John had come to the conclusion that the jaunting belts the Tomorrow People used were much too recognisable to outside agencies. He and Toshiko had redesigned them somewhat, making the belts thinner and incorporating a chameleon shift-like device in order to give them the ability to blend into whatever outfit was being worn at the time. The matter transporter belts, however, were kept pretty much the same, although some of them had had the chameleon circuits also added; like the ones that Gwen and Rhys had been wearing in London.

The one that had appeared just then was the older model, but then Owen wouldn't need to have it blend in.

Owen juggled his various kits until he could loop the belt around his waist. Once it was in place, he said, "Beam me up, Scotty."

Tim chuckled. _"You are not the first person to say that."_

"You need new material, mate," Rhys called out. He and Gwen were standing just out of the way of all the excitement at Toshiko's station, obviously to avoid making the area too crowded.

Owen casually flipped him off.

_"I have downloaded medical information for you on Danielle and Terry onto a handheld device," _the supercomputer went on. _"You should be aware that Terry has a heart condition, and I have included scans detailing Danielle's pregnancy. I have forwarded it on to Elena and she will have it when you arrive."_

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road. Tea-Boy, Alexis…no overdoing it." Owen waggled a finger at them as he disappeared from view.

Ianto looked like he wanted to argue, but Jack stared him down. Instead, he straightened his spine and said, "Then, Tim, I need to get to that break-out in Ealing."

"And I'll be going with you," Jack said, not even second-guessing himself. There was no way he was leaving Ianto's side right then.

He'd never seen a break-out before, only having heard of them from the others who had. And he wasn't about to let his lover go off on his own, in case something else happened.

This time, Ianto acquiesced without a word.

* * *

The next two days were hectic.

There had been a total of twelve new break-outs, two of them not making it despite everything the Tomorrow People could do. Jack himself had been a witness to one of the deaths, when a twelve-year-old boy in San Francisco had panicked and had accidentally jaunted in front of one of the city's ubiquitous street cars and had been killed instantly. The other, a fifteen-year-old, had gained a form of pyrokinesis when his powers hit suddenly, and he'd burned down the family home with himself and his mother in it.

John had really taken that second death harder than the first, and Ianto had taken Jack aside and explained that the Tomorrow People's leader also could cause fires with his mind, although his ability had been mostly self-blocked. He'd also set fire to his home, and his little brother had died in the blaze. It had nearly broken John, and he'd only coped with prodigious amounts of work and by pushing the emotions of that day deep within until they'd come back to haunt him much later in life. Ianto hadn't been around when it had happened, but he said that Elena had told him it hadn't been a good time.

Jack could see how that single act had molded the boy into the man he was today: someone who took his responsibilities very seriously, who was overprotective of his team and would do anything to protect them.

The break-out that he and Ianto had gone to in Ealing had led them practically to the doorstep of a former Companion. The girl, named Maria Jackson, lived across the street from Sarah Jane Smith and her adopted son, and it had taken all of Jack's persuasiveness to convince her that Torchwood didn't have any notions of taking the Jackson girl away and experimenting on her. Jack had cursed Torchwood One for having such a reputation, and once again he vowed to change what those in the know thought of him and his team.

He and Ianto seemed to make serious inroads with Ms Smith, but Jack could admit to himself that it was mostly Ianto's helping with Maria that had done more to convince the former journalist that they hadn't meant any harm. Jack had explained just who and what the Tomorrow People were, and while Ms Smith seemed a bit wary of the partnership between Torchwood and the Tomorrow People even she had to admit that they'd been able to bring Maria through the worst of the break-out.

There had been no further incidents with the mysterious telepathic burst, for which Jack was grateful. It was obvious that the burst had brought on the surge of break-outs, and John had actually called in reinforcements from the Galactic Trig to help. Apparently the three who came at John's call had been on the first and second of John's teams, and it had taken all of them a great deal of cajoling to convince the families of those who had made it through their break-out to let their children go offworld in order to protect them. Jack could see the reason why; if that so-called telepathic burst had knocked Ianto unconscious – and he had the strongest mental shields of all the current team – then the newest Tomorrow People wouldn't have stood a chance.

And so, once the ten new Tomorrow People and their families had been transported off Earth, Torchwood went back to work on trying to find out what had happened.

To be fair, Toshiko had been working on just that problem all along. She and Tim had done everything in their power to track down whatever had sent that signal, even leading Tim to reveal that the Tomorrow People had their own satellite system just outside the orbit of Jupiter. Jack had teasingly accused the supercomputer for holding out on them; Tim had answered primly that it simply hadn't occurred to him to say anything. As Tim couldn't lie to save his biological components, Jack believed him.

However, even with the Watchdog network online they could detect nothing in orbit that didn't belong there. Toshiko had become increasingly frustrated until Owen had physically removed her from her station and from the Hub, in order for the technician to get a breath of fresh air.

Jack knew how she felt.

It was like they could only sit and wait for the next occurrence, and Jack didn't want to do that. The first time had been bad enough, and he didn't want to see any of the Tomorrow People – hell, he didn't want to see Ianto – incapacitated by whatever had broadcast that overwhelming signal.

He hated feeling useless, and it was only Ianto and his being able to help with the break-outs that kept Jack from pulling his hair out, just from the sheer frustration.

However, it wasn't any of their research or a repeat of the telepathic burst that gave them their first clue.

It was a certain mystery writer with a _Homo_ _Superior_ daughter.


	5. Chapter 5

Archangel

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or Tomorrow People or Castle. But yeah, I'd like to.

Author's note: I am so sorry! I meant to update a lot sooner than this! All I can do is apologize. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

_'Ianto,' _Alexis' mental voice called, and she sounded excited.

Ianto was glad of the interruption. He'd grown increasingly frustrated with their lack of success in discovering where the telepathic burst had come from. Not only had he been acting as go-between for Torchwood and the Lab, he had tried to conduct his own line of research into the source of the signal, to no avail.

Also, there had been the couple of times when he could swear he heard that friendly yet cold voice telling him that he could trust it, that it was Ianto's friend. When that happened he would reach out with his mind and attempt to locate where it was coming from, but there would be nothing. The one time he'd brought it up to John the elder Tomorrow Person had claimed not to have heard it, although John had admitted that he sometimes believed he'd heard it as well.

Neither admitted it to Owen, despite Jack's admonition to let the medic know if they heard anything. They just couldn't be sure that it was their own imaginations.

So, when Alexis spoke to him telepathically, Ianto was more than willing to put down what he was doing and listen.

_'What is it?' _he asked, sitting back in his desk chair and trying to rub the kinks from his neck and back.

_'I think my Dad has something.'_

That announcement made Ianto sit up and pay attention. _'Let's bring John into this.' _At Alexis' agreement, Ianto sent out a message to John, inviting him to the conversation.

Once John was in both of their minds, Alexis repeated what she'd told Ianto. _'Are you certain?' _John's stern yet warm voice asked.

_'Pretty certain,' _Alexis answered. _'It makes sense.' _

She explained what her father had discovered, and Ianto couldn't help but think she was on the right track. _'Let me get Toshiko on it,' _he said, getting up from his chair.

_'I shall speak to Tim as well,' _John replied. _'If this pans out, we should meet. The boardroom there at the Hub would be large enough.'_

Ianto agreed, and then broke the connection. He practically ran across the Hub, his haste catching the rest of the team's attention immediately, and they followed him toward his destination, radiating their curiosity.

"Toshiko," he exclaimed, coming to a stop at his friend's station, "what do we have on the Archangel Network?"

* * *

The boardroom was crowded, to the point where Ianto had to bring in extra chairs.

Plus there weren't enough mugs for everyone to have coffee, so a grumbling Owen had headed to the nearest Tesco's to pick up some disposable coffee cups. Ianto had had to bribe him with the good stuff, but it had been worth it, giving him time to get things prepared for the meeting.

The team had taken their usual seats at the large table, while the Tomorrow People had taken the extra chairs and a connection to Tim had been set up on a dedicated conference line. Rick Castle had been offered a seat next to Toshiko, the better for them to give their presentation. Alexis had pulled her chair up next to her Dad's, and Castle had his arm around his daughter. He said something and she rolled her eyes, and Ianto caught the echo of her thought as she jokingly told him off for being egotistical.

Jack was the only one standing, and while he tried to look calm, Ianto knew he really wasn't. He could make out the signs of stress on Jack's face, and all Ianto wanted to do was get up from his own chair and give him a hug, but both men had professional lines they would not cross, especially in crowd conditions, as it were.

"Let's get this started," Jack called the meeting to order. "First, thank you, John, for letting me run this meeting." The elder Tomorrow Person nodded in response. "Now, it looks like we finally might have somewhere to start. Castle?"

Castle sat up straighter and looked as if he wanted to preen a little, but then Ianto had come to realise that the man was a bit of an attention-seeker, perhaps even on Jack's level. "Okay, about five months ago I had an idea for a new novel, and went online to do some research into up and coming technology and new breakthroughs, especially in wireless and telecommunications. In my search I found a rather new company called Magister Innovations LTD, with an office in New Jersey."

At those words, Ianto could feel John sit up and take notice. He sent a silent enquiry to the older Tomorrow Person, but John simply said, _'Later,' _in a tone that would have had Ianto bristling if he wasn't used to it by now.

He also caught something from Elena, who didn't sound happy with being dismissed. Ianto wanted to grin but refrained; she could be sharp when she wanted to, and she often did with her lover.

Then he realised that John had been in New Jersey when the telepathic burst had incapacitated them all.

That couldn't be coincidence.

"The idea for the novel fell through," Castle went on, "but Magister sounded like it was onto something, so I had my business manager sniff around for any sort of stock options that might be available. I also got onto Magister's e-mail list. Now, I hadn't had time to check my e-mails over the last couple of days, but when I did this morning I found this." He grinned at Toshiko. "Doctor Sato, if you please?"

Toshiko tapped a command into her laptop, and a copy of an e-mail appeared on the large screen behind Jack. Ianto sat forward as he read it.

Alexis had told him about the e-mail, but actually seeing it was a bit different. It was obviously an official company document, judging from the letterhead on the missive. Everything about the e-mail was meant to catch the eye.

And there it was.

_We're excited to announce that the Archangel Network has passed its first test! We managed to route several services through it earlier today with minimal loss of data. There are still some tweaks needing to be made, but we don't doubt we'll meet our goal of having the entire Network up and running by the beginning of July._

The date of the email was the same day as the telepathic burst.

"How do we know this has anything to do with anything?" Owen asked. "What the hell is the Archangel Network anyway?"

"Toshiko," Jack replied, "give us what you and Tim have dug up on the Network."

"The Archangel Network," the technician began, "is actually a joint project between Britain and America, although the bulk of the work was done in London. It's a system of fifteen satellites, circling the entire planet."

She tapped some more keys, and the visual changed, this one to a scan of Earth from space. "This was taken with the Tomorrow People's Watchdog Seven satellite. " The picture changed once more, this one with an overlay showing where the actual satellites in question were in orbit. "Tim and I plotted the orbits of the relevant satellites, so we know exactly where they are."

_"At optimum position," _Tim said from the fancy conference phone in the center of the boardroom table, _"any signal generated by the network would be detected anywhere on the planet, and quite possibly from low-Earth orbit."_

"And this network is supposed to be for…?" Elena questioned from her seat next to John.

"Wireless communication," Toshiko answered. "Phones, computers, you name it. Anything with a wireless connection is compatible with the network."

"According to the propaganda," Castle added, "any signal in the network is twenty times faster than current technology."

"Which shouldn't be possible," Toshiko put in.

"Bloody hell," Paul whistled. "I bet people are jumping all over it. The faster, the better."

"It's not being advertised publicly yet," Castle answered. "The Magister Innovations website says that won't start for another week, and then a boatload of Archangel-compatible devices are gonna flood the market. I've already pre-ordered a couple myself."

"What I don't understand," Gwen said, "is how this has anything to do with that signal. Yeah, I see that Archangel ran its test on the same day as it happened, but what would the company gain by attacking anyone with telepathic abilities like that?"

"That's the question." Jack rubbed his forehead. "Tosh, have you or Tim come up with any reason for the low-level telepathic signal?"

Toshiko looked frustrated. "Nothing, Jack."

_"The problem," _Tim added, _"is that we have both been unable to gain entrance into the Magister Innovations computer systems." _He sounded very apologetic.

"There's way too much security," Toshiko said. "Sure, I understand there's all sorts of industrial espionage, but not even Microsoft is this paranoid."

"There's something else as well," John announced, getting to his feet. "Tim?"

_"John is correct. Several weeks ago rumours reached us as to certain…practices Magister Innovations might have been doing, as to their technological advancements."_

Ianto looked up at the elder Tomorrow Person. He could sense the others' understanding of just what Tim was saying by the rise of mental chatter at the back of his mind.

"This was what you were in New Jersey for," Paul practically accused.

Jack frowned. "Okay, what's going on that we don't know about?" He looked a little put out.

"To be honest," John admitted, "I had no idea that Magister Innovations was also behind the Archangel Network." He practically glared at the conference phone. "Didn't you think you could have told me, Tim?"

_"Yes, perhaps," _the supercomputer answered, _"however I thought that we should have all the pieces laid out at once. It would not do to draw the incorrect conclusions when all of the facts are not known."_

John rolled his eyes, but didn't call Tim down any further. "There were rumours that Magister Innovations had gotten a hold of alien tech and had reversed engineered it. I had gone to New Jersey to take a tour of the facility…which of course I missed, as I was too busy being unconscious in Allison's flat to make my appointment."

"How were you going in?" Jack asked.

"As a science writer for a small-scale technical journal," John answered. "I needed to see first-hand what they had in their labs, and if I could identify any of it."

"Do you think you could reschedule?" Jack asked. "We really need eyes in there, to see what they're up to. And, if it's alien technology, it would explain the reach and power of the network."

"That shouldn't be a problem," John said.

Voices broke out around the table as everyone began discussing the ramifications of what it would mean if Magister Innovations had gotten their hands on alien technology. Ianto sat there, biting his lip as he considered what had been revealed during the meeting. He followed along with the suppositions his teammates were making, and for some reason he couldn't shake the idea that something was wrong with their deductions.

_'Ianto,' _Elena said to him mentally, _'what is it?"_

Trust Elena, the empath of their group, to recognize Ianto's uncertainty. _'We're not taking everything into consideration,' _he answered. _'I can't shake the feeling that we're going in the wrong direction.'_

"Everyone!" Elena called out, both telepathically and aloud. As she didn't often raise her voice, it got the entire room's attention. Once it was quiet, she nodded to her friend. "Go ahead, Ianto."

He sent her a rather sarcastic mental thanks, which she happily accepted. He wasn't quite ready to share his musings, but Elena had forced his hand.

"I have the feeling we're going about this the wrong way," he repeated for everyone's benefit, somewhat embarrassed by the sudden attention. "I think we need to ask the question: why would anyone imbed a telepathic message within a data signal? What would be the reason?"

"Ianto has a point," Elena agreed. "We're all so into the actual technology that we're not asking why."

Jack chewed his thumb thoughtfully. "It could have been a function of the original technology and no one at Magister knew about it."

"That would assume it was Federation technology," John said, frowning.

John was right. The only true telepathic technology belonged to the Galactic Federation, since all of their member planets were mentally advanced.

"Would Federation technology do what this did to all of you?" Jack asked. "Because, while I don't know how the rest of you were affected, the team here saw how Ianto and Alexis reacted just when they were thinking about that signal."

"The voice…it wanted to convince us that it was our friend," Alexis murmured. She shivered slightly.

None of the Tomorrow People had reacted as he and Alexis had that one time they'd tried to describe it, for which Ianto was grateful. There were still those few times when he thought it echoed in his mind, but those were also becoming few and far between, and he'd begun to keep his shields up constantly.

"It might have wanted us to like it," John snapped, "but there was something inherently _wrong_ with whatever it was. I'm hoping that, if it happens again, that we can mostly block it out."

Ianto nodded. "It took me be surprise, but I don't think it'll be able to do it again."

"But, if this signal is deliberate," Owen mused, "then why trigger you lot? How do they even know about you, anyway? It's not like the signal actually accomplished anything except knocking you all on your collective arses and bringing out several new Tomorrow People. There was no rhyme or reason to it, and if there's one thing we've all learned by now is that the bastards don't do anything that doesn't subscribe to some sort of plan. Sure, the bad guys might posture and gloat, but they always have a reason for doing what they do. So…why is this signal so important, and if it's deliberately aimed at one very tiny section of the human population, what can you all do that they need you to do?"

There was silence at that, because no one knew the answer to those questions.


	6. Chapter 6

Archangel - Chapter Six

Author: Milady Dragon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here. Nothing to see...

Author's note: Okay, I fell down on it again. I meant to have this posted ages ago, and I let things get away with me. Thanks for sticking with this!

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Jack stood at Toshiko's station, fidgeting while he watched the picture on the larger monitor move through an unknown hallway.

John had been able to reschedule his appointment at Magister Innovations, but had requested to be shown around the London office instead of the one in New Jersey, claiming that his journal had needed him back in England on short notice; truthfully, Jack had insisted it be close enough that Torchwood could react quickly if something went wrong and they somehow lost contact with Tim again. The representative he'd spoken to – a woman named Emilia Cosgrove – had been perfectly agreeable, and had arranged to have John and his 'assistant' to tour the London facilities.

Which was where John was now, along with Toshiko.

It hadn't been difficult to convince John to take Toshiko with him. There was the chance that the telepathic burst could happen again, and while the elder Tomorrow Person felt he would be able to block it a second time, there was still a chance that he might be incapacitated in possible hostile territory. Toshiko had volunteered to accompany him, to help in trying to identify anything they might see while in Magister Innovations labs, and to cover for him in case anything would occur.

She was also wearing the Eye-5 contact lenses.

Jack had wanted to go himself, but Ianto had talked him out of it, claiming that Jack was just a bit too flamboyant for the part of an assistant to a small-time journalist. Plus, Toshiko could, in fact, be sneakier that Jack, and to that the immortal had to agree. He was much better at swanning in and taking control than full-blown espionage.

Besides, he could see what Toshiko was looking at easily enough with the contacts. That had also been Ianto's idea, and Jack thought he should reward his lover for his quick thinking later.

So far, there had been nothing but offices and hallways, and a couple of labs that looked innocuous enough. Jack stifled a sigh, but Ianto must have sensed something because he turned toward him, raising a rather eloquent eyebrow.

Jack rolled his eyes, and Ianto seemingly got the message, which was pretty good considering the Tomorrow Person couldn't actually read his mind.

His lover was seated at the workstation, in control of the keyboard. Ianto had put his foot down when Owen had wanted to send suggestive texts to Toshiko via the lenses, saying the last thing they needed was the technician giggling or blushing at an inopportune moment.

It was quite crowded around the desk, with the full complement of Torchwood – minus Rhys, who was working – and Tomorrow People – plus Castle who should have been writing and wasn't – watching the show. The author had made appreciative noises when the contacts had been explained, and had even asked if he could borrow them on occasion. Jack had denied him, giving him a lecture about alien tech in the wrong hands, and Castle had pouted.

Alexis had barely stifled her giggles.

"I wish I had some popcorn," Paul groused. "This is plain boring."

"You don't have to watch, you know," Elena shot back. She was concerned for John, and not bothering to hide it.

"Children," Jack chided quietly. Elena blushed slightly, and Paul scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Perhaps we should have patched the picture in through the screen in the boardroom," Ianto said. "It would have saved on the overcrowding problem."

"But where's the fun in that?" Jack couldn't help it, even with this mystery hanging over their heads and two of their own walking into possible danger, he still had to tease.

"Too bad the contacts don't have sound," Owen sighed. "It'd be a lot better if we could hear what they're bloody saying."

Owen was right. Jack wished they could hear what John and their tour guide were talking about.

Ianto and the other Tomorrow People had an advantage; John could relay the conversation back to them mentally. "It's basically just propaganda in order to make the company look good. John's just as bored as Paul is, only he has to pay attention in case the woman says something important."

"Do you really think they'll find anything?" Castle asked.

Jack shrugged. "Who knows? But if Toshiko can get access to one of their computers, then maybe she can arrange to get us a connection."

Toshiko and Tim had both failed in getting into the Magister Innovations' computer systems, although it hadn't been through lack of trying. Whoever had programmed the firewalls had been a genius, and Toshiko had actually been a bit jealous of the skill it had taken to keep her and Tim out. Tim also suspected that alien technology was involved in the sheer amount of security that had been installed about the Magister Innovations' systems. While Toshiko had been bothered, Tim had been impressed, as he'd said, despite himself.

Jack looked back at the monitor. John and Toshiko were walking down yet another hallway, this one with glass panels along each wall. As Toshiko looked, Jack could see that each panel looked into a lab, all white tile and steel. A few of the labs looked used, while others were spotless and empty.

"Those look like medical-grade seals," Owen commented, leaning over Ianto's shoulder to get a better look.

That worried Jack. "For quarantine purposes?"

"That, or maybe it's just paranoia where cleanliness is concerned. Could be a variation on the technological clean room."

"That would make sense," Ianto mused. "If they were building delicate processors that couldn't be exposed to open air."

_"Much of the technology created for satellites are extremely delicate and require sterile environments," _Tim said from Ianto's phone, sitting next to the keyboard.

"Tim has a point," Castle said. "I mean, it's what I've seen in science shows on the Discovery Channel."

They were right. While Jack had absolutely no experience in working under such conditions, he knew most miniature technology needed clean environments in order to avoid damage on the cellular level.

And then, Jack thought he saw something.

He shivered.

"Ianto," he said urgently, "tell Toshiko to look to the right, into that lab she just passed."

His lover was already typing in the command to Toshiko's contacts, and Jack wondered if he'd seen it, too.

It had been just a glimpse, but it caused Jack's heart to race in either anticipation or fear, he couldn't decide.

Toshiko did as asked, apparently using the excuse of a dropped pen to get a second look into the lab that Jack – through Ianto – had indicated.

Jack didn't need to see her face to know she was confused by what she was seeing.

"Jack," Ianto gasped.

He put a hand on Ianto's shoulder, knowing that he had to recognize what Jack had, as well.

"Yes," Jack murmured. "It's what you think it is." His mouth was suddenly very dry.

"Are you going to share with the class?" Paul snarked

Jack swallowed hard. "It's the TARDIS."

* * *

He was bombarded with questions, but Jack refused to explain until he could do it all at once.

Seeing the TARDIS in that lab through Toshiko's eyes had been a shock. More than a shock, really. The only reason the TARDIS would have been in that lab was if the Doctor was a prisoner somewhere, which meant everything they'd deduced about Magister Innovations was most likely correct.

He finally had to retreat to his office, under the triple onslaught of Gwen, Owen, and Castle ganging up on him and demanding answers. Alexis had managed to get her Dad calmed down, and Ianto had run interference with his teammates, allowing Jack to escape.

There was nothing from either Paul or Elena, for which Jack was grateful, although he could guess they were reporting to John what had happened.

Of course Jack knew that the Tomorrow People were familiar with the Doctor. When Jack had confided in Ianto about needing to find the Doctor to get some sort of explanation for his immortality, he'd arranged to get word out to friends in the Galactic Federation to be on the lookout, and to ask the Time Lord to come to Earth and speak to Jack. He hadn't heard anything, and he didn't know if that was a good sign, or bad.

Perhaps bad, since it seemed like the Doctor was neck-deep in trouble as usual.

Jack sat down in his chair, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. After all this time…he'd missed the Doctor at Canary Wharf, and the TARDIS had shown up on CCTV footage of the Plass just after they'd stopped Bilis Manger from resurrecting Abaddon, when he'd been out of the country with Ianto. But Jack had set aside his need for answers in order to enjoy his time with Ianto, and to protect the planet from alien threats. After he'd nearly lost Ianto when he'd attempted to save his converted girlfriend Jack had come to realise that he truly had all the time in the universe to catch up with the Doctor. He could live his life just fine, and had in fact found something to truly live for.

He didn't want to think of the Doctor, and yet he couldn't help it.

Jack had no idea how long he sat there, but he was roused from his tempestuous thoughts by the quiet opening of his door. "Jack," Ianto's soft voice floated over to him, "Toshiko and John are back."

He sat up straight, smiling slightly at Ianto as his lover leaned against the door jamb, looking concerned. "I'm fine," he answered the unspoken question. "It just wasn't what I was expecting, that's all."

"I understand, believe me. And I know how important this is to you, to talk to the Doctor…"

"No, not so much anymore." Jack stood and made his way over to his lover, wrapping his arms around Ianto and pulling him close. "I've found something else much more important." He leaned forward, pressing his lips against his lover's, knowing that despite Ianto's inability to read his thoughts he knew just what he meant to Jack.

He pulled away, sighing. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Ianto smiled softly. "I'll be right there with you."

Jack didn't answer, but then he knew he didn't have to. Ianto could read him even without his telepathy, and would understand the silence.

For which Jack would be forever grateful.

* * *

Everyone stood in various groups on the main floor of the Hub, and every head swiveled in Jack's direction as he and Ianto made their way out of his office.

Jack wanted to draw the attention away from himself, which really wasn't like him, but he really didn't want to explain about his time with the Doctor. He'd long ago told Toshiko and Owen about his immortality, which had raised fifteen different sorts of hells from his allegedly snubbed teammates and a very long – and painfully embarrassing – physical from the medic. They'd been hurt by his keeping the secret from them, when Ianto and Gwen had known, and it taken quite a bit of groveling in order to get back in the pair's good graces.

He'd only explained the Doctor's part in all of this to Ianto. Jack only hoped the fallout wouldn't be quite so bad this time.

"That was the TARDIS," were the first words out of John's mouth as Jack made his way down toward them all.

"It was, yes," he confirmed.

John cursed. Jack was a bit surprised, since the elder Tomorrow Person didn't do that very often.

"Care to explain to those of us not knowing what this bloody TARDIS is?" Owen growled belligerently. He stood next to Toshiko, his arms crossed over his chest, and if his glare could kill Jack would have died permanently.

"The TARDIS," Jack said, "is the Doctor's time and space machine."

There were various reactions to his announcement, from knowing nods to jaws dropping. "You mean that box thing belongs to Torchwood's Enemy Number One?" the medic asked.

"Former Enemy Number One," Ianto corrected. "He hasn't been that since One fell."

"Who is this Doctor?" Gwen asked. "Wait…was this the 'right kind of doctor' you mentioned?"

Jack vaguely recalled saying that. "Yes, Gwen…in fact, I'm pretty certain he's the reason I can't die. I've been waiting to talk to him and find out why for over a hundred years now, and he's never turned up in an incarnation that I could interact with…until Canary Wharf, of course, and then I missed him." He didn't mention the time the TARDIS had been caught on the Plass' CCTV; he'd carefully erased it when he'd seen it.

"I met him once," Toshiko replied. "It was when I had to cover for you, Owen, right after you were hired."

"Space pig?"

"Space pig." They shared a knowing smile.

Jack hadn't known about that. "Why didn't you put that in your report?"

Toshiko shrugged. "He was still being hunted by Torchwood One, and I didn't know at the time that you'd met him." She glared at him.

"Well, you can see why I didn't say anything," Jack tried to defend himself. "The Doctor was the reason I was dragged into Torchwood in the first place. I wasn't about to give anyone any sort of clue about him if I could help it. Besides, I was still hoping to meet up with him, to ask him about my little 'problem'."

"Excuse me."

And that was when Jack recalled that there was one person in the room who didn't know about his immortality.

Rick Castle.

_Damnit_.

Jack had already let the man into Torchwood, because of his relationship with Alexis. Up until Rhys Williams, there hadn't really been any civilians in the know, so to speak, and he hadn't taken Castle into consideration.

The author was looking at him, the expression on his face saying that he really thought it was a good joke, but curious to know why no one was laughing. "I think I need some clarification on a point that was just brought up…are we saying that you're what, immortal? How is that even possible?"

"It's true, Dad," Alexis answered for Jack.

"Not exactly," Ianto said, his face grim. "Jack can die, he just doesn't stay dead."

"Semantics, Ianto." Jack put his arm around his lover, needing his support. While he'd gotten very lucky with the people he knew and worked with accepting his immortality, he'd run into too many who couldn't deal with it. He could never expect everyone to take it so well, and it was worse when it was someone he actually respected and liked...not that he'd ever admit that he felt that way to Castle.

"Truth, Jack," Ianto said in kind, returning the embrace.

The incredulous look left Castle's face, and he turned solemn. "I can't make up my mind if that's a good or bad thing, but I'm leaning toward the bad."

"I've seen so much," Jack sighed, "and a lot of it has been wonderful. But then I think about everyone I've lost…and it's heartbreaking." He tightened his grasp on Ianto, his mind skittering to the certain knowledge that, one day, he'd lose this man he loved so much.

No. It was always best to live day by day, and not think that far into the future.

"I have a great imagination," Castle said, "and I can't even conceive of it. How did it happen?"

"I have no idea." He told them about how he'd met the Doctor in 1941, and had travelled with him until the events in the Gamestation, and how he'd died. "I just remember waking up surrounded by piles of dust that had once been Daleks, and hearing the TARDIS leave. I hung around for about a week, when the silence and death got to me, and then I left." He went on about arriving far too early on Earth, and how he'd discovered he couldn't die. "I've been waiting ever since."

"I think I've just gained a hell of a lot of respect for you, Harkness," Castle admitted freely.

Jack felt his face heat up slightly, and he nodded in gratitude.

"Do you think we can stop with the feelings and get back to business?" Owen snarked.

John and Elena rolled their eyes in unison, and Toshiko smacked Owen in the arm.

"Owen might have the emotions of a slug," Jack chuckled, glad for a break in the heavy atmosphere, "but he is right. We really need to figure out what Magister Innovations is doing with a time and space machine…and how they got it."

"I tried to locate the Doctor telepathically while we were in their offices," John explained, "but I didn't sense him at all. Either they have him blocked or else he wasn't there."

Jack knew that the Doctor himself was slightly telepathic, and had faith that John would have felt him if he'd been in the area, and he was almost pitifully grateful that the other man hadn't given the third option…dead. "I think it's really a foregone conclusion that Magister Innovations has its hands on alien tech."

Toshiko nodded. "John and I recognized a couple of things that could very well have been Federation technology as well."

"Then I think we should take action against the company," Jack declared.

"A raid might be too over the top," John argued.

"I have to agree," Ianto said.

"So do I." Both of them looked surprised at Jack's quick capitulation. "This Archangel Network is apparently a big deal worldwide, and we need to tread carefully. We still don't know a lot about it, and it would be a really bad idea to give someone the idea of putting it into play early. Certainly, it might be a benign use of reverse engineered alien tech, but we can't depend on that."

"So," Castle spoke for all of them, "what's the plan?"

Jack grinned. "I was hoping someone would ask me that."


End file.
